World Building, Where I started.

New Blog content! I am dedicating my blog to discussing the journey I am undertaking in building my own original Fantasy world. I call the world Lyrae! I will attempt to post an update once a month, if not more. I'll include links to google docs of work related to my world, and there will be a forum thread for general world building discussion! Please join me in this crazy adventure, and enjoy!

I am taking the time to develop an original world (Which I call Lyrae), from which I plan to create a few stories (At least one novel), and possibly put it into a PnP format. My ultimate goal would be to create my own Sandbox MMO set in this world, but that would require me winning the lottery!

Anyway, I'll be using this blog to describe my world, and the process used to build it. I'll post short paragraph stories here that take place in this world as an exercise, lore, and links to pieces that relate to this world. I will also discuss the topic of World Building in general, and its implications for Roleplay. I encourage any feedback that people have regarding anything in these posts!

First up, the Bestiary. This was not the first thing I began working on, but it is one I have "finished". I, personally, needed to know what creatures I have in my tool box to use when writing. I drew heavily on Cryptozoology and modern day folklore. I tried to make the creatures as varied as the lands they live in. Of course, I tossed in some familiar types, with my own spin on them.

In the Bestiary I give a short overview of the land masses that make up the world so far. I also give brief descriptions of the creatures, as well as reference pictures (Which are not final, nor official.). This really helped me to visualize the world better, and made it feel more alive to me. The Bestiary is written along the lines of an Elder Scrolls style Lore Book, and is a biased view of the ecology of Lyrae (From the perspective of Court-Mage Spirodion)! There are also some subtle hints to the main story of the main series (Which will be more apparent when I release something lol.)

While writing in my setting, having the Bestiary to refer back to helps me to make it fit more with the vision I have. Instead of trying to wrangle wild thoughts together. I gave myself a framework from which to continue crafting.

I'm also working on a complete History of the world, Lore regarding the people, magic, and governments of Lyrae, for the same purpose. I'll cover those another time though! Having these types of outlines really helps me to fit my story into the style, vision, and path that I want to.